Battle Earth IV

by Nick S. Thomas

  He looked back at the next wave of troops who had taken up their old positions; then back to see the first advance he had led were all hunkered down. He gestured to the others to fire over their heads, and it was quickly done. Rifle fire rushed over their heads as they waited their moment to strike. After a few dozen volleys, he lifted his hand to call a halt to their fire.

  “Advance!”

  He leapt up and jumped onto the table top, affording him a view of several of the Mechs from the vantage point. He stepped confidently forward as he poured fire into their positions. He snapped around as he caught movement, firing on full auto into a creature as it lifted up beside him. It dropped dead before it could even train its weapon on him.

  The troops around him poured forward into the enemy positions and finished off the surviving Mechs. Taylor watched and grinned at the defeated foes before them. He turned back to the body lying on the floor in front of the breach. The Major jumped from the table and strolled over to the body of the lifeless soldier who had only gotten a metre from the breach before being struck down.

  Jones joined the Major as he knelt down and rolled over the fallen soldier. Smoke still arose from the impact as the body rolled over; it was Blinker. His eyes flicked open, and he stared into the eyes of Mitch.

  “Not dead yet, Sir,” he spluttered.

  Taylor smiled as he hauled the man to his feet. Blinker coughed and sighed in pain, but his wounds were only minor. Monty rushed to his side and slapped him across the back of his helmet.

  “Bloody idiot, getting shot like that!”

  “I’ll try not to next time,” he replied.

  Taylor turned back, relaxing at the realisation that they were not a man down. He looked to Chandra as she strode down the corridor, scanning the scene of carnage. Then gunfire erupted in far away rooms and echoed down the several corridors which the hall led to.

  “Fight isn’t over,” she stated. “Assemble the troops. Jones, you take half the Company down corridor 17B. We’ll take 17A.”

  Jones quickly nodded to show he had understood and turned to relay his orders.

  “1st and 2nd Platoon, on me!” he yelled.

  “3rd and 4th, follow me!” Chandra shouted.

  They quickly formed up in the market area as they changed their magazines and prepared to move onwards. Chandra and Taylor waited either side of a two metre corridor. She pulled out a Mappad and quickly studied it.

  “We’re about five hundred metres from the command centre, but it’s three floors down. I want command of this station ASAP. There are stairs here and here. You take the first with 3rd Platoon, and I’ll continue on to the next with 4th.”

  “Got it.”

  She looked back to see that all eyes were on her and awaiting the advance. She nodded and without a word, stepped forward. They hugged either side of the corridor, all keeping their weapons held at the ready as they advanced. The corridor was eerily quiet, but they could still hear gunfire in the distance. There was a bend up ahead, and they crept slowly towards it until Chandra could edge around the corner for a quick look. She leapt back around as automatic fire rang out, and small pulses smashed into the corner where her head had been a second before.

  “Christ! Looks like some kind of sentry gun!”

  Taylor leapt to her side of the corridor and drew out his Mappad. He pulled out a telescopic camera, twisted a kink into it, and held the edge to the corner. The camera displayed the view beyond onto the device. He got just a few seconds look when a light burst smashed into the camera and wall, tearing the wrecked Mappad from his hands. He quickly ducked back away from the edge.

  “Yep, that’s something we haven’t seen before.”

  “I guess they weren’t on the defensive before,” she replied.

  “We could advance with the cover of the shields?”

  “No, I don’t think they’d withstand the output of that thing.”

  “Then what do you reckon?”

  She took a deep breath, but before she could find an answer, they heard a rush of gunfire emanate from the parallel corridor Jones’ had taken. Chandra took a quick look around the corner to see that the sentry gun was engaged in firing at Jones and the others.

  “Taylor, I reckon we’ll have a few seconds opportunity to lay down fire.”

  He nodded in return and turned back to the others.

  “You three, on the Colonel. When we get round that corner, we give it hell, got it?”

  They readied their weapons and grimly agreed, having seen the Colonel almost killed by the fearsome defences.

  “Go,” she whispered.

  Chandra leapt to the far side of the other corridor, allowing them to get an angle on the device. She quickly opened fire, and the others joined in after she’d fired the first shot. A dozen rounds hit the sentry gun’s flank that got around the thick frontal shields, but it began to turn for them.

  “Keep firing!” she screamed.

  She continued to pour fire down the corridor in the hope it would be enough. But by the time the gun had rotated and trained on them, she could already see light building in the barrel. Just as the rounds were about to burst from the barrel, an explosion blasted out from behind the shield of the gun and twisted it into a wreck. Chandra breathed out deeply, knowing how close they had come to death.

  “Let’s move!” she cried.

  The two platoons rushed into the corridor at their backs, and the two officers led from the front at a quick pace. Using their helmet targeting devices, they continued to pour fire down the corridor. They could see Mechs rush to defend against Jones’ attack. Taylor had got to the forefront and burst out of the corridor into what was a bar and restaurant district. Light pulses and muzzle flashes lit up the vast space, and Mech bodies were scattered in front of him. He smiled at the sight and lifted his rifle to join in.

  Chandra and the others rushed to his side and joined the firing squad. They outnumbered the Mechs in a vast way, but it didn’t make them feel any sympathy for the creatures. Over the gunfire, they could just about hear Monty and Blinker yelling insults at the tops of their voices as they gunned down the beasts.

  Finally, when the gunfire subsided, they turned to see two of their dead amongst Jones’ troops. Chandra shook her head in sadness, but she knew it was only inevitable. She was only thankful they hadn’t lost more.

  “We’re not far from the command centre, let’s move!”

  They rushed down a corridor at the far side of the sector and reached the stairs as planned. Taylor was descending to the control point and was eager to get there first to deal out some more pain. He reached the semi transparent doors at the base of the stairway and could see that they were sealed shut. Without breaking stride, he fired three shots into the toughened glass and then leapt at it. His body weight ruptured through the fractured plastic, and he tumbled into a roll. Taylor nimbly landed on one knee and was quickly back to his feet.

  Three creatures stood before him. One wore ornately inscribed armour that was reminiscent of Karadag’s, and his face was visible. The other two creatures displayed the painted red lines, clearly representing their importance as some form of guard to a senior officer or official. For a moment, the two groups looked at each other in amazement.

  “Lower your weapons!” he shouted.

  He surprised himself to even say it. He’d never met one of the creatures that he wouldn’t have shot on sight if he could. They hesitated, but he could see they knew there was little other choice beyond death.

  “Lower them!”

  The two guards looked to their master, who after a few seconds of thought, nodded for them to comply.

  “You would let us live?” asked the enemy Commander.

  “I’m here to win this war, not eradicate your race.”

  Taylor could see the two guards look at each other as if surprised, but he could not see their faces beneath their armour. Gunfire rang out, and plastic shattered as Chandra breached the other entrance and rushed into the ro
om with her rifle at the ready. Taylor held up his hand to stop her. She quickly came to a halt and looked on at the situation in shock.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “I believe these soldiers are surrendering to us.”

  “Surrender? And what would you have us do with them?”

  Taylor lowered his rifle and paced across the room, so he could talk more privately with the Colonel.

  “These are soldiers just like us. Wouldn’t you want your foe to take mercy if you were cornered? We’re better than this, Chandra.”

  She looked down and cursed. She knew he was right.

  “Alright, alright. Find them somewhere secure, and I mean secure. They are to be kept under guard and watched at all times.”

  “Alright,” he replied.

  “Looks like we’ve got most of the station under control. They can’t have had more than a hundred or two guarding the whole place.”

  “Maybe because it was the last thing they ever expected of us?” replied Taylor.

  “Alright. Jones, send runners to find Commander Kelly, and notify him we have taken the HQ. 3rd and 4th platoon are to take up positions here. Jones, rally up with Jackson. You’re on sweep and clear.”

  She turned and looked at the three aliens who were still stood waiting to hear of their fortune.

  “Taylor, they’re your responsibility.”

  Chapter 9

  Taylor had found a temporary holding cell just a few metres from the command centre and had quickly acquired it for his new prisoners. He sat and watched them through a one way screen. Never before had he been able to so closely study one of the creatures while it was still living. He could tell the one creature was of great importance, and he was more than a little curious to understand how much so. The door beside him opened, and Chandra stepped through with Kelly at her side.

  The Commander gasped as he saw the three creatures beyond the screen and just a few metres away. He froze for a moment and was clearly thinking of reaching for a weapon before he calmed himself.

  “What the hell are they doing here?”

  “They surrendered to me, Sir.”

  “Surrendered? There is no surrender in this war, Major.”

  Taylor stepped past the Commander and closed the door behind him before stepping back to his previous position.

  “If I may, Sir?”

  “Go on.”

  “This creature is clearly of importance among our enemy. It poses no threat to us, and it makes sense to try and learn what we can while we have the opportunity. We are forever lacking information and understanding of these creatures. Would you not like some information on enemy strength, positions?”

  Kelly turned and carefully studied the creature that sat against the wall. Its towering frame made the room look out of scale. The beast appeared humbled for having been captured but still proud.

  “What makes you think anything it says will be truthful?”

  “No idea, but it costs us nothing to talk.”

  Kelly gritted his teeth, and Mitch could see the Commander hated their enemy more than any of them.

  “Alright, but you handle this. I want proper security on these creatures at all times. If this goes sour, it’s on you.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  Kelly strode out of the room, leaving Chandra watching the creatures in amazement. She turned to Taylor.

  “Don’t take any chances with them. They’d just as soon as rip your head from your body if they had the chance.”

  “I know,” he replied.

  “I’ll admit I am a little curious. Let me know anything interesting that you discover.”

  The two of them stepped out of the room where a dozen soldiers were stood either on guard of the room or awaiting the Colonel as her protection. She quickly left with her entourage, leaving Taylor to the interrogation. It was the first communication they’d ever had with the enemy, but it had seemed of little importance once their intentions were clear.

  “Hall, get two others and join me. I want you to have your wits about you at all times.”

  “On it, Sir.”

  Taylor stepped over to the entrance where Parker and another guarded the entrance.

  “Watch your ass in there, Mitch.”

  “Don’t worry, I will.”

  He opened the security door and stepped inside with the three marines at his back, their weapons raised and ready to fire at a moment’s notice. The three creatures sat at the far end of the cell and didn’t respond to the presence of the troops. He couldn’t tell if they had simply given up and accepted their fate, or if they were biding their time for the right opportunity to strike.

  The holding chamber was eight by five metres and allowed them to keep a good distance apart. In the centre of the room was a table with four chairs. Taylor strolled forward and took the nearest seat. The enemy officer looked up and into the eyes of Taylor. He could see some kind of pipe rising around the creature’s head from around the suit and into its nostrils. He imagined they couldn’t breathe air alone.

  “My name is Major Taylor, 2nd Inter-Allied Battalion.”

  The creature still glared at him but had not moved. It finally opened its mouth and spoke in the same deep and coarse voice that Taylor had heard before.

  “The slayer of Karadag.”

  The creature was relaxed and confident.

  “I was there when he was defeated, yes.”

  “How? How could you, weak and small, kill a hero?”

  Taylor’s eyes squinted, and his face crunched up in anger.

  “Your Karadag was a genocidal maniac. It was an honour to see him to his end.”

  The beast went silent as it dipped its head and seemed to reflect on his words. Taylor marvelled at how human the creature seemed. They were so different to humans, yet they seemed to have so much in common. Taylor could read the same body language and interaction as if the beast was human.

  “Who are you?” asked Taylor.

  “Demiran, leader of the 62nd Group, and honoured to be of Karadag’s kin.”

  Taylor’s eyes widened. He wondered why the creature had not yet tried to kill him, knowing what he now did. It made him clench his fists and grow more guarded and ready for anything.

  “Why did you surrender to us?”

  The creature sat up tall and proud.

  “You gave us the chance to live, did you not?”

  “We don’t kill those who do not fight against us.”

  “Then that is your mistake.”

  Taylor smiled. “Need I remind you of who is winning this war?”

  Demiran looked away as if shamed. Taylor could tell the leader’s guards were confused by the whole conversation. They could clearly understand what was being said, but not why.

  “Can there never be peace between our two races?”

  “Yes, when we rule your planet.”

  Taylor shook his head. He’d always hoped that peace could be negotiated, but he had not yet seen any evidence that it was a possibility.

  “What are your people’s intentions now?”

  “Is is not already clear?”

  Taylor stood up quickly in frustration at the lack of co-operation.

  “How many soldiers do you have on the Moon?”

  Demiran glared at him, and it was clear an answer would never come.

  Taylor turned in frustration. I wasn’t born for this shit. We need an interrogator, he thought.

  He paced out of the room and returned to the station HQ to find it was now a hive of activity. Kelly and Chandra were busy chatting over a briefing table with four other officers. The Commander noticed as he entered.

  “Major Taylor, join us please.”

  Mitch could make out the insignia of the Moon colony forces on two of the officers, and they glared at him as if he were the enemy, but Kelly welcomed him with open arms.

  “Did you get anything from the prisoners?” he asked.

  “Nothing useful, Sir. He is a relation
of Karadag. I don’t think he’ll give me anything.”

  Chandra’s eyes widened. “No, you might be able to use that to your advantage.”

  Kelly thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement.

  “It’s true. His anger towards you could let certain information slip, so keep at it. Now, we’ve secured the station, and Earth has been notified. So far, we have eight dead and thirty-four wounded. It’s a solid start. We’ve got eight hours until the main fleet arrives. Most of the ships will be civilian and unarmed, so it is vital they have a clear run.”

  “Commander!”

  Doyle, Kelly’s comms officer spun around in his chair and frantically called out. The Commander turned as the man blurted out the news.

  “Sir, we’ve got incoming!”

  Kelly rushed over to the man, and the others stood anxiously awaiting more information.

  “Several dozen ships are approaching from the Moon.”

  “My, God, how long do we have?”

  “At the speed they’re travelling, maybe two hours.”

  Kelly turned in horror. He quickly snapped out of it and strode back to the table where the other officers were stood in shock.

  “What do you reckon they want? To destroy the station or take it back?” he asked.

  “They must have occupied it for a reason,” replied Chandra.

  “And we have Demiran,” Taylor added.

  Kelly looked at the Major with a puzzled expression for a second before he clarified.

  “The enemy officer we captured.”

  Kelly shook his head. “To hear their names, it almost makes them feel like a human enemy.”

  “Sir, we must hold this station, or there is little hope of taking back your homeland. Let alone the fact we cannot let a sizeable enemy force loom over Earth.”

  He once again snapped out of his daze and turned to the Colonel.

  “Of course we must defend it! Captain Morris. We were hit by a defence grid installed by the enemy on our approach. Figure out where it is and get it working. Chandra, get all combat ships flying, and have them take up defensive positions around the station. Taylor, you’ve successfully faced off against these bastards more than any of us. I want you to liaise with all other officers on organising the defences. I’ll return once I have reported to General Schulz.”